So finally you decided to all in and enter the ruthless eCommerce realm? Well, first and foremost you must pat your back for taking such a bold and valorous decision. In today’s trickiest times where everyone seems to be gushing about eCommerce, you finally decided to enter the field in high gear. You see there was a time when eCommerce was not more than a nerdy concept. Fortunately, that’s not the case anymore! The following post focuses on what are the two crucial eCommerce platforms to take into account, how they are beneficial and of course, which is the best out of the two for your upcoming eCommerce development project. Here you will learn about WordPress vs Magento.
As long as the eCommerce platforms are concerned, well, you have a variety to explore. Right from WooCommerce to Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, Squarespace, Zyro, OpenCart, Wix, Volusion, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and the list goes on. Now out of the two, Magento and WordPress are the most desirable and popular contestants, especially when it comes to developing a successful eCommerce store.
Although both of them are open-source and robust platforms, there are several differences between them. Therefore, We have taken the expertise of our Indian-based Magento developers and WordPress developers to draft this whole comparison guide. After reading this article you can make a choice between Magento and WordPress, comparing the characteristics, features, and prices of these platforms is a very important task.
Introduction
As I mentioned earlier that eCommerce platforms are many but it is extremely important to pick the right option to succeed. You see, after all, you are not developing an eCommerce store just for the sake of it. Instead, you want to deliver something more seamlessly and that too with the help of evolving and improved technology. It doesn’t matter whether you have just commenced the business or have been working offline for a while, to conduct a strong and seamless online presence, one must be strategic with their approach and choose the right eCommerce platform for their venture. Now how to choose the right eCommerce platform. Further below, I would like to mention certain factors and aspects to keep in mind before choosing the eCommerce platform.
- High-end security – In today’s time security is pretty much at paramount. With breaches happening every now and then, eCommerce store owners have become pretty much concerned about choosing a platform that offers high-end security. Some of the crucial features that must be in your chosen eCommerce platform are PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, fraud prevention and data backups. WordPress, Magento and Shopify are some of the best examples to consider when it comes to high-end security.
- SEO capabilities – Another interesting and amazing factor that must be taken into account is SEO. After all, you are not developing an e-commerce store just for the sake of it. You need to make it rank higher and for that, it has to be SEO-friendly. So choose a platform where meta descriptions can be added seamlessly, blogging, you get your own domain name and so more! Magento, Opencart, WordPress, and WooCommerce are some of the best eCommerce platforms to consider SEO-friendly.
- Responsive Web Design – The next crucial factor to take into account is responsive web design. In today’s times simply creating a website can be a huge mistake, one should never ignore mobile users. So what’s the best option here? Simple! Try choosing an eCommerce platform that features responsive web design. Here the website automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, be it on a desktop or tablet or mobile device. Magento, Shopify, and WordPress support responsive web designs.
- Seamless Integration – Another interesting factor that should be taken into consideration is seamless third-party integrations. Running an eCommerce business without any third-party integrations can be a bit tricky. You need tax calculators, payment gateways, accounting, email marketing tools, shipping apps, and a lot more. For this aspect, Magento and WordPress definitely work wonders!
- Flexibility and Scalability – You see slowly and steadily, your e-commerce business will grow through leaps and bounds. So make sure to choose a platform that scales as per your needs and requirements. Again Magento and WordPress are recommended here.
- Price – Last but certainly not least comes the price. When you are making a choice between different eCommerce platforms, you need to see which platform offers all the aforementioned factors and still is unbeatable when it comes to price. WordPress is the sure-shot answer to consider here.
Since every aspect or factor is present in WordPress and Magento, We will further talk about the two best eCommerce platforms in the blog.
WordPress
In this particular segment, we will be unveiling one of the leading eCommerce platforms named WordPress and how it is beneficial in the long run. Now WordPress was once considered as a mere blogging platform. Fortunately, that’s not the case anymore! If you take a close look at the current stats, you may find that nearly one-third of the websites are developed using WordPress and the numbers keep on growing slowly and steadily. Now, what makes WordPress worth considering? Why it tops the list of the three most often used eCommerce platforms.
#1 Easy to Adapt,
Unlike other eCommerce-based platforms, WordPress is pretty easy to adapt. However, the famous eCommerce platform was once used for blogging purposes. That’s not the case anymore. Today, from large multinational companies to managing small ventures, and eCommerce stores, WordPress can be easily adaptable for any and every purpose here. Also, here you may find a wide range of themes and easy access to source files. So even if you might have to change your needs and requirements in future, WordPress can adjust pretty much accordingly.
In addition, adding new pages, blog posts, and images on a regular basis is more like a cakewalk. Not to forget this eCommerce platform is less time-consuming.
#2 SEO-friendly
Another interesting aspect of any WordPress-based website is that they are simply loved by search engines. You see, the code used to develop a WordPress-based eCommerce site is pretty clean and simple. So it becomes extremely easy for search engines to read it and index the content. Each and every page here can be created with its own respective meta tag keywords, description, and title, and be optimized for specific keywords and so forth. Basically, if you are using WordPress, feel rest assured in regard to search engine optimization. In the end, you will be able to rank your eCommerce store easily.
#3 Free
WordPress is one such eCommerce platform that is available for free (in a literal sense. You don’t have to pay a penny to get started with a WordPress website. All you have to do is go to its official website, i.e. WordPress.org and then download the software. For hosting, you can either self-host – where everything from the hosting costs and security is well-taken care of and another option is managed hosting where you pay to others or should I address them as third parties to take care of the hosting, maintenance and security of your store.
#4 A wide range of Themes, Plugins and Extensions
The next biggest advantage of using WordPress is that it comes with a wide range of themes, plugins and extensions. In today’s time aesthetics and appearances matter as well. Fortunately, WordPress is one such eCommerce platform that offers an array of themes and plugins for assistance. Hundreds and thousands of themes are available, out of which some might be available for free whereas others might cost some money. However, in the end it will all be worth it. In fact, these themes and plugins can be previewed before making a purchase. So adding aesthetics plus features such as shopping carts, galleries, and contact forms, is no longer a problem especially when you are developing a WordPress-based eCommerce store.
#5 Large and Active Community
Another intimidating aspect to take into account is having a large and active community. You see, since the eCommerce platform is available free of cost it doesn’t mean it has a small community. In fact, you may find a wide range of WordPress advocates who tend to vouch for the platform every now and then. All these people tend to engage and share ample knowledge and experiences related to the platform. Also, if a developer gets stuck somewhere, veterans ruling the community are ready to assist right then and there. So whether you are developing a small corporate website or anything major such as an eCommerce store, the large community will always be at your service.
Now I can simply go on and on with WordPress. It’s time to meet other contenders as well. Time to get acquainted with Magento for a successful eCommerce development venture.
Magento
Magento is one of the leading names in the eCommerce realm. And why not, since it is one of the most flexible, robust, scalable, highly secured and open-source eCommerce platforms available across the globe. Now when you try launching your eCommerce store, you dream of it becoming a huge success one day. And that’s the reason why I have included Magento in the following post.
Magento is basically an eCommerce platform that ensures online retailers have a great time selling and buyers enjoy shopping on the online store. With flexible shopping carts, with high-end features and functionalities, and great security, Magento is quite popular in the eCommerce realm. In the Magento space, you may find Magento Open Source (previously Community Edition) and Magento Commerce Cloud (previously Enterprise Edition).
Further, I would like to mention why to consider Magento as your eCommerce platform right away! So let’s get started!
#1 Power-packed eCommerce Platform
One of the biggest advantages offered by Magento is that it turns out to be one of the most alluring and power-packed eCommerce platforms available across the globe. You see this one does not just ease your unnecessary burdens but also turns out to be highly scalable and flexible in comparison to its options. As a result, managing hundreds and thousands of products is possible without many issues. No wonder this is considered one of the strongest advantages offered by the eCommerce platform to date. The way you can manage products and all your inventories is pretty seamless and it feels more like a cakewalk.
Apart from all this, altering filters and navigation is pretty seamless and this surely has a positive impact on the conversion rates. Therefore, it is always believed that Magento-based eCommerce sites always tend to bring more and more return on investments.
#2 Versatile
Another interesting aspect of this eCommerce-based platform is that it tends to be versatile in each and every manner. On and all, Magento’s content management is thoroughly versatile. So one can try managing any and every type of content. Right from developing different types of web pages to developing blog posts, describing or explaining your showcased products, etc is possible here. You name it and you get it!
In fact, I have come across several eCommerce sites that use Magento for developing custom landing pages. In addition, managing your store content is no longer a rocket-science, all thanks to easy drag-and-drop features.
#3 Advanced SEO
Of course, WordPress and Shopify are amazing when it comes to SEO but Magento is way out of the league here. Basically, here you will definitely come across a wide range of advanced and seamless SEO features that can help your store rank higher on the search engine results page (SERPs). Wondering why? Because, unlike other eCommerce platforms, Magento ensures you create custom meta titles. And not just the titles but even the description can be customized. As a result, it is possible to get ranked easily.
It may quite interest you to know that Magento features built-in URLs which can assist well in enhancing your store’s crawlability. Again, this results in a higher ranking. Magento basically comprises more and more advanced SEO features resulting in more traffic to your store. As a result, more conversions and sales can be expected.
#4 Large and Active Community
Another interesting advantage of Magento is that here you will find a large and active community of programmers. From beginners to Magento veterans, everyone is involved here. As a result, the community ends up creating new and exciting modules, themes and extensions. In case, if the developer gets stuck up somewhere, then he must be certain to receive some information or help from the veterans. Having a wide community is definitely one of the best advantages of any eCommerce platform.
#5 Security
In today’s times, security will always be considered paramount. On and all, Magento turns out to be a completely secure platform that ensures PCI compliance. Several store owners are found incorporating SSL certificates and ensuring end users with safe and secured transactions. If you take a look at the big picture, you can see that the buyers will feel more and more secure when shopping from your store. Again this definitely results in an increase in sales.
So what do you think? Which one of the two is the clear winner? This calls for our next segment.
WordPress vs Magento – Which one is Worth Considering?
Since both are powerful, both are scalable, and both are open source, where exactly the difference lies? Time to find out!
#1 Ease of use
Well, If I am supposed to say this in one line then I will say that WordPress is way easier to use than Magento. You see WordPress is one such platform that is made for both beginners as well as experienced professionals whereas Magento on the other hand requires more technical knowledge and expertise. Out of five, I will give Magento a 2.5 and WordPress a 3.5 especially when it comes to easy-to-use eCommerce platforms.
#2 eCommerce as a Purpose
Now why are you considering the platform? Of course, to enhance your eCommerce store. So basically Magento turns out to be a compelling platform that is recommended for selling products online easily. Overall, Magento and WordPress both succeed in these particular aspects.
Now Magento seems to have a bit of an upper hand in comparison to WordPress. Since it comprises a wide range of sales features and functionalities such as which products have been viewed recently, free shipping options, multiple images, one-page checkout and whatnot!
#3 Themes and Extensions
Last but certainly not least come themes and extensions. Again both the eCommerce platforms feature strong and ever-lasting capabilities but which theme you end up choosing highly depends on the type of website you are willing to create. Here you may find a wide range of ready-made themes which are cost-effective and easy to install. However, you can even opt for custom themes which are made of high-end quality and are definitely more unique and intimidating.
Final Word
And we are done here! I will say both the eCommerce platforms WordPress and Magento are one of a kind. Your choice mostly depends on what exactly are your needs and requirements. If you are looking for an easy-to-manage platform then choose WordPress whereas a more advanced SEO-based ecommerce platform is Magento. So this is it! I hope the following post turns out to be of some help. In case, if you get stuck somewhere in your eCommerce development project, feel free to get in touch with us. We will try to assist you as soon as we can.